Plastic hollow-ended fastener



w 139 1966 R. w. LYDAY ETAL 3,272,059

PLASTIC HOLLOW-ENDED FASTENER Original Filed June 22. 1961 INVENTORSRICHARD W LYDAY BY CLETUS L. MOORMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent3,272,059 PLASTIC HOLLOW-ENDED FASTENER Richard W. Lyday, Broolrville,and Cletus L. Moorman,

Trotwoorl, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich,a corporation of Delaware Qriginal application June 22, 1961, Ser. No.118,836.

Divided and this application May 15, 1964, Ser.

1 Claim. (Cl. 85-5) This invention relates to mechanism and procedure toassemble articles of manufacture such as fastening devices toelastomeric sealing strip means.

i This application is a division of parent disclosure Serial No.118,836Lyday et al., filed June 22, 1961, now Patent No. 3,139,674Lydayet al. issued July 7, 1964 to the assignee of the present inventiontogether with an earlier divisional disclosure thereof, now Patent3,199,187-Lyday et al. issued August 10, 1965.

An object of this invention is to provide a plastic fastening device foruse specifically with an elastomeric sealing strip having alongitudinally extending cavity adjacent to an underside thereof andhaving a body including an elongated head portion of a length in a rangebetween two to three times diameter of largest diameter of a stemportion integral on one side of the head portion and having a pluralityof concentric rings centrally along the stem portion which can have ahollow end for radial resilience though outer peripheral surfacing ofthe end has an initial angular taper which increases toward the headportion though interrupted by a substantially uniformly cylindricalportion located intermediate the initial angular taper and adapted toalign the fastening device axially with respect to a mounting aperturehaving a peripheral edge subject to interference press fittingengagement by the concentric rings at least one of which is providedwith a secondary angular taper, the elongated head portion havinghook-like opposite ends remote from each other though extending in adirection toward the stem portion.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention areclearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a fastening device insertable on a sealingstrip by assembly procedure in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectioned elevational view taken along line 22 inFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectioned end view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1.

In a copending application Serial No. 126,419, filed June 22, 1961, nowPatent 3,199,184Harris et al, issued August 10, 1965 to the assignee ofthe present invention, there is a disclosure of apparatus and method ofmanufacture to assemble elastomeric sealing strip means and fasteningdevices to each other requiring multi-station stopping of movement of asealing strip means. Further disclosure as to the sealing strip meansper se can be found in application Serial No. 71,463, filed November 25,1960, now US. Patent 3,110,938, dated November 19, 1963, and belongingto the assignee of the present invention. The sealing strip can beextruded or molded to have a preformed shape subject to mountingadjacent to a vehicle door, for example, as well as any other peripheraledge of an opening subject to closure by a cover and the like. In theaforementioned application Serial No. 126,419, now Patent3,199,184Harris et al. issued August 10, 1965, there is provision foraperturing an underside of a sealing strip so as to provide access to alongitudinally extending cavity in which head portions of plasticnaillike fastening devices such as disclosed in a copending applicationSerial No. 118,918, filed June 22,1961, now Patent 3,139,784Moormanissued July 7, 1964 to the assignee of the present invention, can beinstalled in a subsequent station where a stop is made to permit furthermechanism to dilate the hole or aperture formed in the sealing strip.Each of the embodiments of inserter mechanism of these patents as wellas that of previously noted Patents 3,139,674Lyday et al. issued July 7,1964, and 3,199,187-Lyday et al. issued August 10,1965, will providemachine installation of fastening devices with elastomeric sealing stripmeans.

Details of a fastening device generally indicated by numeral 70 can beseen in further detail in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. Thisfastening device includes an elongated or substantially football-shapedoblong head portion 71 and a stem portion 72 which together provide abody of plastic material. The head portion includes integral hook-likeopposite ends H remote from each other though extending in a directiontoward the stem portion. The distance or length between these hook-likeopposite ends in the embodiment of the fastening means illustrated byFIGURES 1, 2 and 3 can be substantially twice the diagonal distance ordiameter of a plurality of concentric barb-like rings 73 integralcentrally with the stem portion 72. In the embodiment of the fasteningdevice illustrated by FIGURES l, 2 and 3, it is noted particularly thatthe stem portion 72 has a hollow interior end 74 so as to enhanceresilience and facilitate flexing of an initial tapered portion 75. Thisinitial tapered portion 75 serves as a guide for entry into a mountingpanel aperture such as on a motor vehicle and an intermediatecylindrical portion 76 interconnects the initial tapered portion 75 anda secondary tapered portion 78 which extends radially outwardly stillfurther to the outer peripheral edges of the concentric rings 73. Eachof the rings 73 can be interconnected by an arcuate flared portion 79.As can be seen in the view of FIGURE 3, the head portion 71 issubstantially rectangular in cross section and the hook-like oppositeends H are the only offsets provided integrally therewith.

It is to be noted that ratios of the oblong head portion 71 with respectto the diameters of the stem portion can differ so that differentfastening devices can be assembled to elastomeric sealing strips adaptedto fit differing sizes of mounting panel apertures on various motorvehicles. Interference fit of concentric rings such as 73 relative todiffering sleeve-like members permit mechanical insertion of fasteningdevices into holes or apertures of elastomeric sealing strips having alongitudinally extending cavity therewith as shown by patents noted. Fordifferent vehicle installations hole sizes for mounting panel aperturescan vary such as, for example, between 0.144 inch diameter, 0.187 inchdiameter and 0.309 inch diameter.

It is to be noted that when fastening devices are assembled on a massproduction basis relative to elastomeric sealing strip means, and manysuch fastening devices require a stop during inserting procedure, therecan be a considerable loss of time which is completely avoided inaccordance with the present invention by having an assembly head movingconcurrently with movement of the sealing strip during the insertingprocedure. When thousands of fastening devices are inserted relative tolongitudinally extending sealing strip means, there can be anappreciable difference in labor and operating costs encountered whenadditional stopping time is required subsequent to drilling oraperturing of the sealing strip means to provide lateral access to thecavity of the sealing strip in which the head portions of the fasteningdevices are to be inserted leaving only the stem portions projectinglaterally to one side of the sealing strip for mounting thereof relativeto a vehicle mounting panel aperture.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosedconstitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

A unitary fastening device for elastomeric sealing strip cavity andmounting panel aperture installation, consisting of a body of plasticmaterial having an elongated and substantially oblong head portionhaving integral hooklike opposite ends remote from each other atpredetermined locations, a stem portion solid immediately adjacent toand integral axially at one end thereof with a central location of saidelongated oblong head portion and having the lateral width of said sternportion less than that of said elongated oblong head portion, and asubstantially annular enlarged extension of said stem portion includingcollectively an exterior initial tapered portion adjacent the endthereof remote from said elongated head portion, a secondary taperedportion extending radially outwardly further than said initial taperedportion, an intermediate cylindrical outer portion interconnecting saidinitial tapered portion and said secondary tapered portion, pluralconcentric barb-like rings axially spaced along said enlarged extensionadjacent said solid stem portion with said secondary tapered portiondefining the outer surface of the lowermost of said barb-like rings, anda hollow interior extending axially from said end thereof that is remotefrom said elongated oblong head portion and that enhances resilience andfacilitates flexing of said exterior initial tapered portion which is aguide for entry into a mounting panel aperture as well as saidintermediate cylindrical outer portion, each of said concentricbarb-like rings being interconnected by an arcuate flared portioncollectively all having a diameter greater than the lateral width ofsaid central location of said elongated oblong head portion though thediameter thereof is specifically less than the longitudinal distancebetween predetermined locations of said hook-like opposite ends of saidelongated oblong head portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,915,249 6/1933Jorgensen 24208.3 1,998,791 4/1935 Schanz 24-208.3 2,851,078 9/1958Mellon et al. 2,853,913 9/1958 Rapata 85-5 2,984,877 5/1961 Perrochat2473 3,139,784 7/1964 Moorman 855 CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

R. S. BRITTS, Assistant Examiner.

